Adjustable spigot or faucet



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN M. KEELER, OF NEW BRIGHTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO CHARLES R. WELSH, OF NEW BRIGHTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

ADJUSTABLE SPIGOT 0R FAUCET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 6,1920.

Application filed November 5, 1919. Serial No. 335,886,

faucet is normally held to its seat by a.

spring to thus prevent the valve being shifted to an open position and left in its open position.

One of the objects of thepresent invention is to provide a construction of this character which may be so adjusted that the handle and. the valve connected thereto may be caused to return to a closed position after each actuation, or the device so arranged that in one position of the handle the valve will be held open for any length of time desired without the necessity of holding the handle manually in this open position.

A further object is to provide a spigot or faucet with a valve actuating handle which may be adjusted into any desired angular relation to the axis of the valve body and held in this adjusted position to thus dispose the handle in a position where it will bemost convenient for use.

A further object is to provide a faucet having a vertically shiftable valve with a support which is rotatably adjustable upon the faucet body, the valve being provided with a handle which is so engaged with this support that it rotates with the support when the latter is adjusted.

A further object is to provide a device of this character wherein the cap or bonnet is provided with a cam plate over which the handle of the valve may be shifted to ,cause the opening or closing of the valve, and in thls connection to provide means on this cam plate which, when adjusted in one position, prevents the handle from ever being disposed in a position to open'the valve without the handle being manually held in this position, and which in another position of adjustment will permit the handle to be shifted to a position where it .will hold the valve open without manual and Another object is to provide a faucet of this character with a globular mlve which will be shifted by the passage of water heneath it so that the valve will always present a new face to the seat.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a faucet constructed in accordance with my invention, the cam and handle being shown in elevation;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the ring 23 and its cam on the line 22 of Fig. 1; I

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the handle;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view through a faucet showing a different form r of valve.

Referring to these drawings, 10 desigw nates the body of the faucet which mav be formed in any suitable manner, and which is provided with a horizontally disposed valve seat 11 and with an upwardly extending, cylindrical chamber 12 immediately above and in axial alinement with the valve seat. This chamber 12 at its upper end is screw-threaded, as at 13. Engaging over the screw-threaded upper end of the chamber 12 is a bonnet 14 which is perforated for the passage of the valve stem 15 and counterbored to receive a packing ring 16 surrounding the valve stem and normally resting upon the upper end of the chamber wall 12. The bonnet is formed with a circumferential groove, 17 adjacent its upper end. The lower end ofthe valve stem 15 is screw-threaded or otherwise formed for engagement in'a head 18. This head at its upper end is recessed and the stem 15 is threaded at its lower end,as indicated at 19, for engagement in said recess. Between this head 18 and the packing 1G a coiled compressionspring 20 is disposed surrounding the valve stem. The lower end of the head 18is hollowed out to form a semi-globular cavity or pocket 21 wherein is disposed a ball valve 22, preferably of rubber. These rubber balls are made in two different grades, one grade being for a cold water faucet and a slightly harder gradev for use in a hot water faucet. The ball 22 fits more or less loosely within the semi-globular cavity 21 so that the ball may. rotate therein. The valve seat 11 has its upper face beveled to conform to the convexity of the ball 22 in an obvious manner. The pressure of water at all times keeps the ball 22 in the cavity or pocket 21.

Mounted upon the bonnet 14 for adjust- -ment therearound is a ring 23 having at a plurality of points inwardly extending set screws 24 which engage in the channel or groove 17, and by this means the ring may.

be rotated upon the bonnet 14 and then locked in any adjusted position, or by removing the set screws entirely the ring may be removed. Forming part of this ring and cast or] otherwise formed therewith is-a cam plate 25. This cam plate arches over the bonnet 14 and the upper edge 26 of the cani plate is eccentric to the upper end of the valve stem 15. This cam plate is formed with a lug-27 at the junction. of the cam plate with the ring 23, this lug projecting radially outward and forming a restand fulcrum, as will be later explained, and being upwardly concave.

Pivotally connected to the upper end of the valve stem 15 is a handle 28. This handle, as illustrated in Fig. 3, has a bifurcated shank to provide oppositely disposed legs29 adapted to embrace the cam plate and embrace the upper end of the valve stem. These legs are pivoted to the valve stem, at 30, and the upper edge of the cam plate 25 is eccentric to this pivotal center when the valve is closed. Disposed between the legs 29 is a roller 31 mounted upon a pin or in any other suitable manner. This roller bears against the cam edge 26, and when the handle is down and the valve closed rests on the lug 27 which, therefore, forms a rest and a stop for this roller.

The upper margin of the cam plate is formed with an arcuate slot 32, and mounted upon the cam plate is an adjustable stop 33 whose base embraces thecam plate and is formed with apertures for the passage of a screw, pin or like device 34 which passes through the slot 32. The forward edge face of the stop 33 is concavely curved to conform to the curvature of the roller 31. This stop may be adjusted along the circumference of the cam plate a distance equal to the slot 32, and this slot 32, as will be seen from Fig. 1, intersects a vertical line drawn through the axis of the valve stem, the greater portion of the slot 32 lying to one side of this line and, therefore, being dis posed away from the stop 27 Only a relatively short portion of the slot 32 extends forward of this vertical line or plane.

In the operation of this device, it will be obvious that the valve may be raised by depressing the handle 28 when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1, the roller 31 bearing on the lug 27, which acts as a fulcrum, and the handle th-us acting as a lever to raise the valve against the action of the spring 20. It will be obvious now that as soon as the handle is released, the spring 20 will cause the closing of the valve. This spring 20 is relatively strong, and he-nce'it is that the stop 33 is adjusted toward the forward end of the slot 32, (see dotted line Fig. 1) then the pressure necessary to hold the valve against this stop is relatively slight,

the cam edge 26 supporting the valve against the tension of the spring 20.- If now the handle be'released, the tension of the spring 20, acting as it does to pull down the valve, will cause the handle to swing, the roller 31 moving over the smooth edge 26 until the handle reaches the stop 27. At this time the valve is closed.

This arrangement is particularly suitable where the faucet or-spigot is to be used by careless persons or children, but where it is not desired that the faucet should be selfclosing, then the stop 33 is adjusted to such an extent rearward on the cam plate that the handle of the valve may be turned beyond its center and then, of course, the

spring cannot close the valve until the handle is forcibly turned forward beyond its centerand released, or carried down-until it is engaged with the lug-27. By releasing th'eset-screws 24, the ring 23 may! be rotated into any desired angular relation to the axis of the valve and this rotates the valve stem with. it. Thus, the handle may be disposed to extend from either side of the faucet or to extend parallel to the nozzle of the faucet, or even extend parallel to the inlet of the faucet and still lose nothing of its automatic closing character. When the valve stem 15 is raised, the pressure of water will keep the valve 22 within the socket 21,

but the flowing water acting on theasurface of the ball22 will cause the ball. 22 to-rotate or turn within the socket so that when the valve is again closed, a fresh surface is presented to the valve seat 11.

g I do not wish to be limited to the particu- Under these circumstances, 5

' water.

lar form of valve herein disclosed, that -is to the use of a spherical valve 22, as it IS possible to secure some of the advantages of this valve in such a construction as that illustrated in Fig. 4 where the valve 22. is not spherical but ovoidal in shape in vertical section and is caused to rotate on a vertical axis in the socket by the passage of I do not wish, of course, to be limited to a rotating valve, nor to the use of a yalve bod having a spherical or ovoidal shape, and at all departing from the spirit of the invention. Neither do I wish to be limited to the cam plate being provided with a slot 32, as.

it is obvious that any means whereby the stop 33 may be shifted upon the cam plate and held in its adjusted or shifted positionis within the spirit of the invention.

It will be seen that I have provided a faucet wherein the handle may be turned to any desired position and held in this position without any change in the position of the bonnet itself and without thus loosening the engagement between the bonnet and the packing and the body of the valve, and that I have provided for a quick manipulation of the valve or for a slow raising of the valve to its open position with less exertion on the part of the operator, and I have also provided means whereby the faucet may be converted from a self-closing faucet to one wherein the valve is held open for any desired length of time and then may be manually closed. This ability to convert the faucet from a self-closing faucet to one which is not self-closing is particularly con valve seat, a bonnet engaging the body, a I

valve stem passing through the bonnet and having a valve engaging the seat, a compression spring urging the valve to its seat, a member attached to the bonnet projecting radially therefrom and having a concave,

upwardly facing seat, and a handle'pivotally connected to the valve stem for movement in a vertical plane and carrying a roller adapted to rest on and fulcrum upon said seat to thereby cause the shifting of the valve from its seat upon pressure being exerted upon the outer end of said handle, the bonnet having an upwardly extending might use a disk valve without cam member with which Said roller engages upon. an upward movement of the handle to lift the valve from its seat.

2. Ina faucet, a longitudinally movable valve, a seat with which it coacts, a spring urging the valve to its seat, a valve stem,

a handle pivoted to the valve stem, and a relatively fixed cam extending parallel to the valve stem and having a cam face eccentric to the pivotal center of the handle when the valve is closed and with which cam face said handle engages to shift the valve from its seat.

3. In a faucet, a*longitudinally movable valve, a seat with which it coacts, a spring urging the valve to its seat, a valve stem, a handle pivoted to the valve stem, a cam extending parallel to the stem and having a cam face eccentric to the pivotal center of the handle when the valve is closed and with which face said handle engages to shift the valve from its seat, and a stop on'the cam adaptedto be disposed so as to prevent the handle from turning past a line extending through the axis of the valve stem;

4. In a faucet, a longitudinally movable valve, 'a seat with which it coacts, a spring urging the valve to its seat, a valve stem, a handle pivoted to the valve stem, a cam extending eccentrically to the pivotal center of the handle when the valve is'closed and with which said handle engages to shift the valve from its seat, and a stop on said cam adapted to be arranged to permit the handle to pass a line coincident with the axis of the valve stem.

5. In a faucet, a longitudinally movable valve, a seat with which it coacts, a spring urging the valve to its seat, a valve stem, a handle pivoted to the valve stem, a cam extending eccentrically to the pivotal center of the handle when the valve is closed and with which said handle engages to shift the valve from its seat, and a stop on said cam adjustable into'one position to prevent the handle from passing a line extending through the axis of the valve stem and into another position to permitthe handle to pass said line.

6. In a faucet, a longitudinally movable valve, a seat with which it coacts, a spring ur ing the valve to its seat, a valve stem, a

handle pivoted to the valve stem, and a cam extending eccentrically to the pivotal center 'of the handle when the valve is closed and ,end of the handle.

7 A faucet having a body formed with an upwardly extending chamber and with a seat below said chamber, a bonnet engaging the top of said chamber, a valve stem extending'through the bonnet and carrying valve at its lower end coacting with the seat,

a compression spring disposed in the chamber and urging the valve to a closed position, a vertically disposed cam mounted upon the bonnet and arching over the stem, the cam having an edge eccentric to the upper end of the stem, and a handle pivoted to the stem for movement in a vertical plane and having a member thereon engaging the edge face of the cam.

8. A faucet having a body formed with an upwardly extending chamberand with a seat below said chamber, a bonnet engaging the top of said. chamber, a valve stem extending through'the bonnet and carrying a valve at its lower end coacting with the seat, a compression spring disposed in the chamber and urging the valve to a closed position, a vertically disposed cam mounted upon the bonnet and arching over the *stem, the cam having an edge eccentric to the upper end of the stem, and a handle pivoted to the stem for: movement in a vertical plane and having a member thereon enj gaging the edge face of the cam, said cam just above the bonnet being provided with an outwardly projecting lug forming a stop limiting the downward movement of the handle and forming a fulcrum upon which the handle may rock to cause the lifting of the valve under the depression of the outer end of the handle. v 9. A faucet having a body formed with an upwardly extending chamber and with a seat below said chamber, a bonnet engaging the top of said chamber, a valve stem extending through the bonnet and carrying a valve 40 at its lower end coacting with the seat, a

compression spring disposed in the chamber and urging the valve to a closed position, a vertically disposed cam mounted upon the bonnet and arching over the stem,

the cam having an edge eccentric to the upper .end of the stem, and a handle pivoted -to the stem for movement in a vertical plane and having a memberthereon engaging the edge face of the cam, the cam being provided with an adjustable stop limiting the upward movement of the handle on the cam.

10. A faucet having a body formed with an upwardly extending chamber and with a seat below said chamber, a bonnet engaging the top of said chamber, a valve stem -'extending through the bonnet and carrying a valve at its lower end coacting with the seat, a compression spring disposed in the chamber and urging the valve to'a closed position, a vertically disposed cam mounted upon the bonnet and arching over the stem, the cam having an edge eccentric to the upper end of the stem, the handle having spaced legs embracing the cam, the extremities of the legs being pivoted to the upper end of the stem, and a roller' mounted between said legs and engaging the edge face of the cam.

11. A faucet having a body formed with a an upwardly extending chamberand, with a seat below said chamber, a, bonnet engaging the top of said chamber, a valvestem extending through the bonnet and carrying a valve'at its lower end coacting with the seat, a compression spring disposed in the chamber and urging'the valve to a closed position, a vertically disposed cam mounted upon the bonnet and arching over the stem, the cam having an edge eccentric to the upper end of the stem, the handle having spaced legs embracing the cam, the extremities of the legs bein pivoted to the upper end'o'f the stem, an a roller mounted between said legs and engaging the edge face of the cam, the cam bein provided at its lower end with an outwar ly projecting lug concaved upon its upper face to forma rest and, fulcrum for said roller and the handle and with a stop adapted to be disposed so as to limit the upward movement of the handle and having a concaved edge face to engage with and receive the roller on the handle.

12. A faucet having a body formed with an upwardly extending chamber and with a seat below said chamber, a bonnet engaging the top of said chamber, a valve stem extending through the bonnet and carrying a valve at its lower end coacting with the seat, a compression spring disposed in the chamber and urgin the valve to a closed position, a vertical y disposed cam archingiover thevalve stem and rotatively adjustable upon the bonnet, the valve stem being rotatable within the bonnet, and a handle pivoted to the valve stem and having a part coacting with said cam.

13. A faucet having a-body formed withan upwardly extending chamber andwith a seat below said chamber, a bonnet engag- 110 ing the top of said chamber, a valve stem extending through the bonnet and carrying a valve at its lower end coacting with the seat, a compression spring disposed in the chamber and urging the valve to a closed position, a member rotatably adjustable upon the bonnet around .the axis of the I valve stem and arching over the latter and provided with an outwardly projecting lug, and-a handle pivoted to the valve stem for 120 movement in a vertical plane and having a member thereon resting upon said lug, said lug forming a fulcrum for the handle when the outer end of the handle is depressed to raise the valve stem.

14. A faucet havin a bonnet, a valve stem extending throug the bonnet, a bifurcated handle pivoted to the valve stem for secting the axis of the stem, a member mounted upon the bonnetfor rotation therearound, means for holding said member in adjusted positions upon the bonnet, said member having a part arching over the end of the valve stem and passing through the bifurcated handle to thereby cause the handle and said member to have unitary rotative adjustment, said part bein disposed in the lplane'bf movement of the andle.

15f faucet having a valve seat, a valve longitudinally movable toward and from the valve seat and having a stem, a handle pivoted to the outer extremity of the stem, a

spring urging the said valve to *a closed p0- sition, and means whereby the valve may be opened by a depression of the outer end of the handle or\-upon a movement of the handle into alinement with the valve stem. 16. A faucet having a valve seat, a valve longitudinally movable toward and from the valve seat and having a stem, a handle pivoted to the outer extremity of the stem, a spring urging the said valve to a closed posltion, and means whereby the valve may be opened by a depression of the outer end of the handle or upon a movement of the handle into alinement with the valve stem, the handle cooperating with said means to hold the valve open when said handle has reached its limit of movement in the last named direction.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature;

JOHN M. KEELER. 

